Angel Puppet
by Tribi Ponyfeathers
Summary: Azra has always lived like this. It's his normality. So when he sees a glimpse of the other side, he can't help but wonder why the other half lives like it does. But he's never been allowed to think before, so why would he begin now?
1. Chapter 1

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Now presenting our main dish! Our entrée for today is a well bred human. It is serviced by Miss B. herself."

The crowd cheered in admiration.

"The scrapper serving today's dish is Miss T's own Azra!"

The large gate at the other end of the arena opened slowly, revealing a lithe boy with long black hair.

He held twin tonfas in his hands, the sharp blades glinting in the darkness.

"Azra-chan! Make this one slow!" Miss T called from the stands.

Azra darted out, striking the person's left leg just above the knee with the butt of a tonfa.

The human shrieked, buckling over.

Azra caught him as he fell, and smoothly threw the human up into the air before brutally drop-kicking him.

The audience roared.

Azra towered over the cowering human, looking up at his owner for the seal of approval.

Miss T nodded once, and the human's life was extinguished.

* * *

Seconds after the fight, Azra was still breathing heavily.

"Come on, Azra-chan. It's time to go home." Miss T called from the entrance to the arena.

"Yes, Momma." Azra said as he sat up from his position on the corpse.

He walked over to Miss T's side, keeping his head lower than hers and walking a good foot or two behind her.

"No need for that today, Azra. Come here."

Azra looked up, shocked, but caught up to Miss T.

"Good boy." Miss T petted his head affectionately.

He tensed, then relaxed. She took his arm gently.

"From now on, when I invite you to only; take my arm like this gently and walk with me out the doors. Keep your collar in view though, Azra, so you aren't mistaken for one of us." Azra stayed silent, nodding his head slightly and keeping his eyes to the floor.

They soon reached the 'stables', and Miss T let go of Azra's arm.

"You've been a very good boy today, Azra," Miss T said gently, "So, you get extra special treatment."

She reached to the side, grabbing something off the wall beside her.

He raised his arms almost at once, something close to eagerness in his eyes.

She fastened the shackles to his raised wrists.

He dropped to his knees before her. She still held the chains to the shackles in her hands.

She turned on her polished black high heels and walked into the dark hallway, dragging Azra with her.

* * *

She threw him in the small room, closing the door behind her.

He looked up at her innocently, and asked, "Momma, was I a good boy today?"

She chuckled slightly, and looked down at his lithe form.

"You have. So, you get a special treat today, Azra. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Momma!"

"Good boy."

* * *

She raised his arms above his head, locking his shackles into position.

She ran her hands along his scarred chest, pressing down on a pair of burns just below his ribs.

He gasped, arching his back.

She took her hands off him, standing up and turning to the table behind her.

Azra's breath became shallow, anticipating what came next.

She selected a small item off the table, holding it so Azra could see.

It was an everyday kitchen tool, a knife used for cutting fruit.

She held it with malicious intent.


	2. Chapter 2

She twirled the paring knife lazily, kneeling down to get close to his face.

Azra's breathing became shallow, quickening in anticipation.

She ran her hand lovingly over his chest once more, before grabbing his left hand firmly.

She lay it flat against the stone wall, palm down, and got ready to start her pet boy's special treatment.

* * *

She gripped the knife firmly. Positioning it against his right thumb's pad, she created a shallow cut.

He gasped, biting his bottom lip.

She pressed deeper, nearly reaching the bone. Pulling the knife out, she examined it a moment before sticking it in front of his face.

"Lick it off."

"Yes, Momma."

She held the knife just in front of his face, turning the rest of her body to face the table once more.

Finding what she was looking for, she turned back to Azra, who had finished cleaning off the blade.

* * *

She dropped it, blade down.

It landed in his left ankle, hilt deep.

"Oops." Miss T deadpanned.

Azra simply groaned, seemingly incapable of speech.

Miss T giggled.

"Now I'll just take these scissors here, and..." She held the bone cutting scissors up to his thumb, fixing them to his second knuckle.

She squeezed, cracking the bone.

He screamed, face to the sky, tears streaming down his face.

"Now, Azra, we said no screaming."

"Sorry, Momma."

* * *

A shrieking filled the corridors, stopping Miss T in her tracks.

"Stay here, boy. Momma'll be right back." she said, dusting off her impeccable dress.

She twirled, making off into the dark halls.

* * *

 _Running... always running._

 _Can't catch your breath._

 _There's light ahead._

 _But it's poisoned._

 _Sick._

 _You need to get there!_

 _Gasping._

 _Running_

 _Faster_

 _Red._

 _The light's turning red._

 _you can save it if you go faster_

 _faster_

 _faster_

 _can't get there_

 _no_

 _need to_

 _go faster_

 _faster_

 _need to get there_

 _now now now_

 _the light's red_

* * *

"NO!"

The scream pierced through my fevered dream.

"Momma?"

She's in pain!

Gotta help her!

Now!

These stupid chains are stopping me.

I need to get to her!

Snap snap snap stupid chains!

I need to get to her!

* * *

A rush of heat flooded through Azra's back as his vision went fuzzy.

When it cleared, Azra was standing, his hands free of the chains.

He looked at them for a second in bewilderment, then focused, running to the sound of Miss T's screams.

He took twists and turns into halls he had never seen before, running as fast as he could. He passed by room after room, not stopping for anything.

He finally reached her, just as she was brutally slashed across the chest with a purple-bladed quinque.

He growled, standing in front of her body protectively, his left eye become that of a ghoul's, and pitch black kagune shot out of his lower back.

"Azra?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Azra?" she asked, clutching her cheek.

Her eyes were frozen open in surprise, watching breathlessly as her puppet stood protectively in front of her, a kagune flaring out of his lower back. It was aimed at the doves, and she could see the shock on their faces.

They only hesitated a second at the one eyed ghoul, glancing quickly at one another before attacking.

The boy on the left with longer hair gripped his knives twice, the quinque shiny with his Mama's blood.

Azra growled. His kagune slashed forward, swiping the seemingly less experienced dove off his feet.

The eyepatch the dove wore fell off, revealing a ghoul eye.

It didn't matter to Azra, he just threw the dove down the hallway a good twenty feet. He grabbed the knives the dove had left behind and faced the black haired dove with the brown eyes.

The dove readjusted his grip on his sword, charging, and Azra deflected with the knives in his hands, lunging in and stabbing the dove in his left shoulder.

"You okay, Mama? I'm sorry for disobeying, but I heard you in pain." he said as he fought, getting in several more slashes. The dove's white coat was now stained red in four-no, five places, and he looked back to his Mama to see if he could do the kill.

She was standing, held up by several kagune twined together, one pressed into every joint and pressure point available to press against, leaving her unable to move lest she kill herself.

"Stop, release your kagune, and drop the quinque. Now." A female stepped out from behind Mama, and he tensed.

"What... is a kagune? Quinque?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Quinque are weapons, like the knives you are holding." He immediately dropped them. "And a kagune is the thing coming out of your back. In order to release it, you need to calm down. I will not hurt your Mama if you listen to what I say."

He forced himself to relax, and the weight on his tailbone suddenly disappeared.

"What are you? You look like the white people Mama warned me to run from, but your eye is black and red like Mama's."

She smiled. "I am a Quinx."

After he got handcuffed, he was led to a truck, where he was sat next to a boy with long black hair and many red stitches on his right side.

"Hey, my name's Juuzou. I'm going to be looking after you for awhile. You won't be punished for doing anything as long as you don't hurt anyone who didn't hurt you first. Like in the scrapper halls." He paused, pulling at a suture absentmindedly. "They don't mess with you, you don't mess with them. Be nice to the people wearing white coats, and don't hurt them ever if you can help it unless you're about to die. If they ask you to fight them, remember it's a test of skill and you should stop before you kill them or hurt them too much for them to get away. Stick near me when we first get where we're going, I'm going to introduce you to a friend. Oh, what's your name?"

"Azrael."

"Cool! Like the fallen angels? Can I call you Ozzie?"

"Sure." Please talk quieter. They can hear everywhere.

"I've never seen black kagune like yours. When we get back Haise will definitely have to look at it."

The rest of the ride continued quietly, the occasional snore permeating the silence. The culprits seemed to be a blue-haired little girl and a blond-haired older boy. He winced, thinking of the punishment for falling asleep without permission before shaking his head and remembering, Juuzou said there wasn't any more punishments.

He was jolted from his thoughts by a bump that flung him to the left, and then a square of light opened to Azrael's right.

Everyone got up, so Azrael did so as well, sticking as close to Juuzou as possible. In response, Juuzou grabbed his upper arm , as if to assure him that he wouldn't let him go.

As everyone got out, Azrael just stuck with Juuzou, following behind as quickly as he could.

They walked through many halls, all of them white with glass on one side. Azra winced, the light streaming through the windows(?) burning his eyes.

They went down 497 stairs, stopping at a door with symbols on it. Juuzou kicked it open offhandedly and shoved Azra in.

"Sorry for the shove, but I'm not allowed past this doorway." Juuzou reached a hand in, and flicked a switch, bathing the dark room in light. "Do you know how to read?"

Azra shook his head no.

"I'll come around to teach you later. Do you know how to do a puzzle?" Another no. "Well, you put together small plastic pieces to make a picture. There are boxes of puzzles. Would you please complete a few until I get back? I think you'll find them fun. I did."

"Wh-where are you going?"

"To get you some food and water."


End file.
